Bob Frantz: Return of LeBron James is great for Cleveland

FILE - In this Dec. 25, 2009 file photo, Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James reacts during the second half against the Los Angeles Lakers in an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles. James told Sports Illustrated on Friday, July 11, 2014, he is leaving the Miami Heat to go back to the Cleveland Cavaliers. (AP Photo/Lori Shepler, File)

In July 2010, we were forced to endure “The Decision.”
Now, in July of 2014, did we just witness “The Admission”?
Is LeBron James’ return to the franchise he stabbed in the back, and the fans he stabbed in the front, an admission to the crimes of what his many critics accused him?
Or perhaps this one was “The Contrition.”
If one thing was evident in LeBron’s essay to Sports Illustrated — regardless of whoever actually wrote it for him — it was a sense of regret and remorse that he had never shown before, even when being mercilessly taunted and booed by Cavaliers fans during his four years of visits to his former Kingdom.
Maybe we just witnessed the birth of “The Cognition.” Cognition is loosely defined as the psychological result of perception, learning and reasoning. It’s a fair observation to say that James may have learned a thing or two about himself during his four-year hiatus from Northeast Ohio.
Regardless of the label you want to put on the four-time MVP’s latest change of address, and there are some other creative rhymes that come to mind here (sedition, anyone?), there is one thing that no one can dispute:
He is “The Addition.”
And when we talk about what LeBron adds to Cleveland, we are talking about much more than basketball.
For that, I am happy.
That’s right — despite a lengthy column just weeks ago outlining why I would never be able to forgive James for his actions during the last two years of his first stint with the Cavs, and his reprehensible exit from town, I am here to say that I am done raining all over the LeBron Love Parade.
That’s right, despite my desire to point out that James would probably still be in Miami if Dwyane Wade hadn’t looked like a 79-year-old man in the Finals, and he was now a three-time defending champion, I refuse to continue in the role of Debbie Downer.
Why? Because I love my city. And if my city loves LeBron, and LeBron is good for my city, no one should stand in the way, least of all me.
The presence of James in a wine and gold uniform, according to numerous economists and the expert numbers-crunchers at the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, will have a $50 million to $80 million impact on the local economy. Annually.
Think about that for a moment. The economies in many major cities have continued to struggle, and Cleveland, of all places, is about to get a massive shot in the arm.
The Cavaliers will sell out virtually every game, and when they do, the beneficiaries of those sellouts will go far beyond Cavs’ owner Dan Gilbert.
Restaurant owners, cooks, and servers. Hotel owners, bellhops, and cleaning staff. Bar owners, cab drivers, rental car agencies, vendors, parking attendants and on and on and on.
A championship-caliber team, whether a title is won or not, is good for just about everyone in Northeast Ohio. It creates excitement, it creates business, and it creates jobs. And that is something we should all support, regardless of any personal animosity toward any one player — especially the one who will play such a mammoth role in the economic boom.
On the court, obviously, James will have his biggest impact. Even while wearing the Miami “Hate” uniform, his biggest critics — including yours truly — stared in awe at his marvelous talents, which have only matured as he has entered his prime. The prospect of watching Kyrie Irving evolve into the dynamic playmaker he can be, in part due to coach David Blatt’s up-tempo offense, but mostly because opposing defenses will be forced to focus on James first, is exhilarating.
Equally exciting is the opportunity to watch Andrew Wiggins, who was hailed two years ago as the greatest high school prospect to come out since LeBron himself, learning the NBA game without being expected to produce at the unattainable level that is often expected of No. 1 overall picks.
Wiggins has a chance to learn the game from James and Irving, playing between them, as the third option on offense. Defenses will have to virtually ignore the talented rookie as they double-team James and play help-defense on Irving. He could flourish, and he will, provided he isn’t included in a potential deal with Minnesota to put the ultra-talented Kevin Love in the Cavs’ lineup alongside James and Irving.
James would have been a game-changer no matter where he signed, obviously, but he can be a franchise-changer with the young-and-coming Cavaliers, which probably played as much a role in his new decision as the lure of his hometown may have.
So here we are. Whether you view him as the Prodigal Son humbly returning home, or as a mercenary for hire who simply saw the talented young Cavs as the best chance to bolster his own personal legacy, LeBron James is about to have the biggest impact on a franchise and a city that anyone has in recent or distant memory. And that’s a good thing. Honest.

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About the Author

Reach the author at frantz.media@yahoo.com. Follow Bob on Twitter: @BobFrantz80.